Storm over Arnhem: The Crossing
Storm over Arnhem: The Crossing Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Crossing: A Storm Over Arnhem Variant
The variant starts during Sunday night, September 17th with the turn marker on Turn A and the British player in possession of the Tactical Advantage. If he does not use the Tactical Advantage, the British will control it until the start of turn 3 when it will once again switch to the Germans automatically. The Germans are in control of all Victory Point Areas at start and may receive Victory Points for any areas they still control at the end of turns A and/or B, but cannot receive points for reducing the British perimeter until Turn 1.
1. Additional Units
1.1 Pillbox [4-X-0]: The pillbox counter is set up in Area 4 to start the game. The pillbox may only attack/be attacked during the Close Combat Phase. Only those units in Area 4 which are designated to attack it may be attacked by the pillbox. Therefore, regardless of who controls the Tactical Advantage the British player must designate his Close Combats first. The pillbox does not affect enemy movement or stacking limits in any way. The pillbox does count as a German unit for control of Victory Point areas.
1.2 Arnhem Garrison: The Arnhem Garrison consists of two 3-5-5 infantry units and a 2-6-5 HQ unit which start the game in Area 23. If all three units fire together they do receive a +1 DRM for platoon integrity. During the A game turn only, these units do not affect enemy movement costs into adjacent areas (i.e.: 8.22 case B does not apply).
1.3 9th SS Recon: The 9th SS Recon consists of two 3-3-10 PSW 231 Armored Car and four 3-2-8 SPW 250 Halftrack units. The one 9th SS Armored Car unit in the Basic Game German setup is removed and must enter the game instead with the 9th SS Recon units on turn B at the bridge as per rule 3.4. At the end of any game turn after they enter the board, any halftrack counter of the 9th SS Recon Battalion may be replaced by a 4-6-6 infantry recon counter of the 9th SS. Once this substitution is made it may not be reversed. The 9th SS Recon infantry do not qualify for platoon integrity.
2. Variant Setup
2.1 Turn A: All British Basic Game initial placement units except Company B set up in zones D and/or E. The German player sets up his pillbox and three Arnhem Garrison units in areas 4 and 23 as outlined previously.
2.2 Turn B: The British player brings on Company B in zone E and is now able to attempt to use his artillery for the first time. The German player places his 10th SS Recon Bn in zones A, B, and C with a maximum of eleven units per zone and is now able to attempt to use his artillery for the first time. The 9th SS Recon Bn must enter at the bridge per rule 3.4.
2.3 Turn 1: The German Bocholt Training Battalion is placed in zones A and/or B as in the Basic Game.
3. Special Variant Rules
3.1 All British units (except AT units) have one additional MF during turn A. British AT units have a MF of 6 during this game turn. After turn A, all units are reduced to their normal Basic Game movement rates. The requirement for the British to set up at least three units in each Victory Point area at the start of Game Turn 1 is waived in the variant.
3.2 Neither side may enter a perimeter zone during turn A.
3.3 The Random Events Table and Setting Fires rules may not be used before turn 1.
3.4 The German 9th SS Recon Bn elements must enter together in one impulse during turn B as follows:
3.41 Before every German M/F Impulse during Turn B the German player must roll a die. If the die roll is a 1 or 2 the entire German 9th SS Recon Bn must enter the game during that Movement Impulse. If the die roll is not a 1 or 2 the German may move or fire normally or even Pass, but the turn will not end even if the British follow with a Pass of their own. If the British and German players do pass consecutively, the 9th SS Recon Bn automatically enters and the phase ends with that impulse unless the German player has the Tactical Advantage and wishes to continue the turn by using it.
3.42 When the 9th SS Recon Bn enters the game, all six units must be placed at the bridge on the area dividing line between areas 4 and 5. Any uncommitted British units occupying areas 4 and 5 which wish to do so must now fire as one combined group (even if that group exceeds the basic game maximum fire limits) at all the German units occupying the border as if they were occupants of their own area. No AT units may fire at this time, even if they occupy areas 4 and/or 5. German casualty points must be expended by unit elimination only (up to 4 casualty points per unit). All firing British units become committed.
3.43 Any surviving units on the border are then advanced to the area dividing line between areas 18 and 17. Any uncommitted British units occupying areas 18 and 17 which wish to do so must now fire as one combined group (even if that group exceeds the basic game maximum fire limits) at all German units occupying the border. Any uncommitted AT units occupying areas 18 and/or 17 may also fire, but as a separate attack. German casualty points must be expended by unit elimination only after both the infantry attack and any AT unit attack(s) have been resolved. All firing British units become committed.
3.44 If any 9th SS Recon units still remain, they may move into areas 18 and/or 17, or continue on to the border between areas 22 and 23. Those units choosing to move into areas 18 or 17 must end their move there if British units are present in the area moved into. At that point they would have been susceptible to a maximum of two combined fire group attacks plus up to one or two separate AT gun attacks. If there are no British units present in the area moved into, they may continue movement normally, and are considered to have expended 3 MFs before leaving the bridge to enter areas 18 or 17. Any surviving 9th SS Recon units which do not wish to enter areas 18 and/or 17 must be placed on the border of areas 22 and 23 and receive fire from any willing and eligible British units in those areas as per 3.43, except that the German player may elect to satisfy casualty point losses by retreating if otherwise able to do so.
3.45 Any 9th SS Recon units which have survived border fire in areas 22 and 23 must enter area 22, 23, and/or 28. They may continue moving as usual (having already expended 4 MFs on the bridge to that point) if the area entered is unoccupied by British units. If the area entered is occupied by British unit(s), the German unit(s) must stop in that area.
3.46 It costs 1 MF to enter the game via the bridge plus 1 MF for each border ramp moved onto. No unit may end this special Movement/Fire impulse on a border. It must pay normal MF cost to enter a specific area when leaving the ramp border. All surviving 9th SS Recon units become committed at the end of this impulse and the game then converts back to the normal M/F impulse sequence with the British player in control of the next impulse.
3.47 British artillery may not be used against the 9th SS Recon units on the ramp. Neither artillery nor Anti-Tank Guns may be used against the pillbox.
3.5 At the start of turn 1 the six British perimeter control counters are placed by the German player on any six areas currently occupied by the British. These areas cannot be Victory Point areas but may contain German units if there are not enough areas solely occupied by British units. If the British player does not currently occupy six such areas, the German player may select other areas which are currently unoccupied but were last transited by the British to fulfill the limit of six perimeter areas. If the German player is still unable to specify six perimeter areas, he receives two victory points for each counter not placed. Under no circumstances may the German specify more than six perimeter areas.
3.6 The game continues normally from turn 1 as per the Basic Game rules. Only the special provisions for the German pillbox not affecting British movement rates could conceivably alter play from the Basic Game norm.
3.7 Victory Conditions: The Germans begin the variant with their Victory Point marker in the -2 block as a play-balance adjustment.